Glass rod antenna



Feb. v21, 1961 w. H. RlcKARDs ETAL 2,972,744

GLASS ROD ANTENNA Filed Feb. 9, 1955 nited States Patent GLAss non ANTENNA William H. Rickards, Cleveland, and Fremont W. Peasley, Ashtabula, Ohio, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Ward Products Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 9, 1955, Ser. No. 487,100

1 Claim. (Cl. 343-888) This invention relates to an antenna for use on motor vehicles or in any other suitable environment.

'An object of the invention is to provide an improved v an novel antenna which is electrically eicient in operation, simple in construction, attractive in appearance and can be economically manufactured.

Another object is to provide an antenna which will not corrode or deteriorate under exposure to variable weather conditions and which can be made in different colors so the antenna will be compatible to the color of the motor vehicle or other structure with which it is used.

A further object is to provide an antenna as referred to in the previous objects and which antenna is so constructed that it will have a relatively long effective electrical length compared to its actual physical length.

Further and additional objects and advantages residing in the invention and not explicitly referred to above will become apparent hereinafter during the detailed description which is to follow of several embodiments of the invention and which embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specication and wherein,

Fig. l is a partial sectional and partial elevational View of one form of antenna embodying the invention and shows the antenna operatively assembled in a mounting for the antenna that is secured to the cowl paneling or to another suitable part of a motor vehicle.

Fig. 2 is a detached partial elevational and partial sectional view of the antenna rod shown in Fig. 1.`

Fig. 3 is a detached partial elevational and partial sectional view of the jack plug socket member shown in Fig. 1 and forming part of the antenna.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view illustrating a tool which may be used to unite the antenna rod and the jack plug socket member. Y

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken Vsubstantially on line 5 5 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction'of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a partial elevational and partial sectional view of a modified form of antenna rod embodying the invention, and

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are fragmentary partial sectional and partial elevational views of three further forms of the invention.

Referring iirst to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive illustrating the Ifirst form of antenna embodying the invention, the antenna comprises a rod 10 which is formed of material such as glass or fiber glass and is decreasingly tapered from a shoulder 11 adjacent its lower end outwardly to its outer end. The rod 10 from the shoulder 11 to its lower end has a machined portion-12 of a diameter to intertit the socket of the jack plug socket member later to be described.

The machined portion 12 intermediate its ends is lprovided with an annular groove 13 for a purpose later to be described. The rod 16 preferably is ground to shape as by a centerless grinding operation and has fitted and secured to its outer end a decorative or finishing tip 14 which may be formed of any suitable material.

In theform of rod shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive a stranded electrical conductor 15 is located concentrically within the rod and extends the full longitudinal length of the rod. This stranded conductor 15 is illustrated as comprising four wires and the conductor extends outwardly of the inner end of the rod and the four wires form- :ing the same are separated and turned outwardly over the portion 12 of the rod so as to overlie the annular groove 13. The four wire ends separated from the stranded electrical conductor 15 are indicated at 15a and are shown as separated 90 from each other.

It will be understood that the stranded conductor 15 might comprise a different number of wires than the four herein referred to and illustrated and it will also be understood that in some instances a single electrical conductor could be used in place of the stranded electrical conductor. Also it will be understood that the portions 15a of the conductor which are turned backwardly upon the portion 12 of the rod may be separated from each other different amounts than the 90 referred to. It is well to point out at this time that the rod 10 may be formed in any desired color and this means the rod can be of a color compatible with the color of the vehicle itself.A

The jack plug socket member comprises a socket portion 16 which is integral with two longitudinally spaced externally threaded cylindrical portions 17 and 18 and with the jack plug proper portion 19 which in use ts into and electrically connects with a suitable fitting carried by the transmission line, not shown, and'which line extends to the radio in the motor vehicle as will be Well understood.- v The rod 10 has'its reduced machined inner end portion 12 inserted into the socket portion 16 and then the socket portion 16 is deformed as indicated at 20 as, for instance, by a rolling operation by a rolling tool 21 into the annular groove 13 with 'said deformed annular part 20 of the socket portion 16 acting yto mechanically interconnect the rod and the socket portion and since the part 20 deforms the outturned wires 15a into the annular groove 2 13 said wires and the stranded conductor 15 are clamped in effective electrical contact with the vsocket portion 16 of the jack plug socket member. l i l Y The antenna thus formed by the mechanicallyand electrically interconnected rod ltland jackv'plug socket member can be secured to a motor vehicle byfastening the jack plug socket member in any suitable mounting that is secured in turn to Ysome part of the motor vehicle as, for instance, to the cowl paneling thereof. i In-orderto illustrate a form of mounting which may Y be used` for the purpose just stated the antenna has been shown herein as secured in an antenna mounting or support such as that shown in Finke et al. Patent 2,470,693, May 17, 1940. Briefly, the illustrated antenna mounting or support comprises two half ball members 21 and 22 which are clamped in operative relationship to the opposite sides of the panelin'g 23 of a motor vehicle. The clamping of the half ball members 21 and 22 in the operative relationship referred to is effected through the use of a nut member 24 screwed on the threaded portion 17 of It is not believed necessaryY illustrated in, Fig. 6,. In this modified form the rod` is identical with the form previously described. However, the electrical conductor within the rod shown in Fig. 6 differs from the stranded conductor 1e' previously described in that the, conductor 27y shown in Fig. 6 is formed f a single` wire as distinguished from a strandedfcond'uctor'formed of a plurality of wires.

The conductor 27 is coiled from end to end within the rod` 11i so as to substantially increase the eiective electrical length of the conductor relative to the physical length of the rod. The conductor 27 is ccncentrically arranged within the rod 1t) and has the convolutions thereof out olcontact with each other. The lower end of the conductor 27'` extendsy outwardly of theV rod and is not coiled but. is bent backwardly upon the rod as indicated at 27a so as to overlie the groove 13.

It, will be understoodV that the form of rod shown in Eig. 6v is secured, to the socket portion 16 of the jack plug socket member in the same way as is the first described form of rod and that the conductor 27 has good, electrical contact through the part 27a thereof with the jack plug socket member.

From the` foregoing description it will be evident that an antenna embodying the invention fully accomplishes thel objects hereinbefore enumerated since the antenna is of simple economical construction, is formed of material that will not corrode or deteriorate under variable weather conditions, is electrically eicient, can be colored so as to be compatible with the color of the vehicle with Which it is used and as in the modilied form it has long effective electrical length compared to its actual physical length.

The form of antenna rod disclosed in Fig. 7 and embodying the invention is similar to that shown in Fig. 6, except that a diierent form of socket member 28 is employed and a different arrangement is utilized for connecting the electrical conductor 27 to the socket member 28. In the form shown in Fig.l 7 the reduced machined lower end of the antenna rod interits the socket member 28 and is integrated therewith by the annular deformed depression 29 that extends into the annular groove in the rod member as in the previous forms. However, the socket member 28 in its bottom mounts a screw 30 which screws into the coils of the coiled conductor 27 and acts to electrically interconnect the conductor and the socket member. It will be understood that the socket member 28 with the rod` secured therein and the electrical conductor electrically connected to the socket member can be secured in any suitable form of mounting.

The form of the invention shown in Fig. 8 is similar to that shown in Fig. 7, except that a stranded conductor 15, such as is shown in Fig. 1, is used and this conductor is electrically connected to the socket member 28 by the head of a tapered nail 31 which is driven into the stranded conductor with the head of the nail contacting the bottom of the socket member.

The form shown in Fig. 9 issimilar to the form shown in Fig. 8 except that the conductor 32 may be a single wire or a stranded wire while the lower end of the conductor extends through an opening in't'he bottom of the socket member 2S and is, soldered, or welded tothe socket member.

it will be understood that the antenna embodying, the present invention can be used on a motor vehicle or in any other environment for communication uses and theA illustration of the antennas use ona motor vehicle is for illustrative purposes. only and without intent to limit the use of the antenna to a motor vehicle.

Although preferred embodiments of` the invention have been illustrated and described herein it will be understood that the invention is susceptible or" various modifications and adaptations within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

An antenna comprising ay unitary exposed rodl of hard berglass insulatingk material and the likev having an electrical-wire conductor embedded therein, said` conductor having a terminal portion which is free fromV said insulating material and is reversely carried back a` predetermined distanceV alongthe outside of, the. rod at an end thereof, a conductive socket of length greater than` the said predetermined distance, receiving and fitting the said end of the rod, an intermediate regionk of the socket within the said predetermined distance having an inward circumferential wall deformation pressing directly upon and tightly gripping said rod and said conductor terminal portion for mechanically and electrically securing to gether the socket and said terminal portion of; the conductor and for mechanically. securing the` socket to the said end of the rod.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,596,673 McLaughlin Aug. 17, 1926 1,658,160 Fisher Feb. 7, 1928 2,373,660 Closson Apr. 17, 1945 2,651,025 Elliott Sept. 1 1953 2,681,412 Webster June 15, 1954 2,748,367 Schelke May 29, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 605,791 France June l, 1926 1,005,808 France Apr. 16, 1952 1,006,808 France Apr. 1.6, 1952 745,092 Germany Feb. 25, 1944 757,698I Germany Feb.- 22, 1954 OTHER REFERENCES The Masters, 20th edition, pp. 5 to 122, Fiberglass Whip Antenna. 

